CELTIC boss Brendan Rodgers has backed recalled Craig Gordon to spike Manchester City’s big guns after confessing he was too quick to drop the keeper for Dorus de Vries.

Gordon will make his bow in the Champions League against Pep Guardiola’s superstars after glove rival De Vries failed to fully recover from a strained chest muscle.

De Vries has started the last five Hoops games, but was replaced by Gordon midway through Saturday’s 6-1 win against Kilmarnock and will only make the bench for this evening’s mouthwatering Group C clash.

Debate has raged on for the past month over which of the two goalies is better. But Rodgers has no qualms about playing his apparent second choice.

He said: “Dorus isn’t 100 per cent and there is no need to take a risk for this game when I’ve got an outstanding goalkeeper beside him. So Craig will play.

“I’m sure he is really looking forward to it. Craig wants to improve, which is great.

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“He and I had a really good chat when I was going to make the change a few weeks ago.

“I maybe made the change too early. Dorus was injured and he’d come back and maybe I pushed him in too early, to try to impose that way we want to work. So I take responsibility.

“But the bottom line is that we have to win games and Craig and I looked at areas we think he can improve on. He’s gone away with Stevie Woods and been absolutely brilliant in training, taking it on board.

“It has given him a determination and when you’re fighting for your place and your position it allows you to perform better and focus. He’s been absolutely first class.

“He has done great for the club considering where he was at. I’ve got really good goalkeepers.”

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Celts began their Champions League campaign with a 7-0 hammering in Barcelona.

Rodgers says lessons have been learned and even though City have won 10 out of 10 games since Guardiola came in, their flawless record has to end eventually.

The Parkhead manager added: “The players are ready to begin for real what I would say are our attempts in the Champions League.

“For us, it’s about looking to dominate and be aggressive.

“Of course, you have to respect the opponent and we are playing against a team who are of a really high level.

“But we have to ensure our home games, in particular, are very important.

“Celtic’s record here over 24 Champions League games at home is incredible. We’ve lost just three and won 16. That tells you how difficult it is to come and play here, so we have to do it on the field.

“City are on a great run and it will end at some point. Why not us being the ones to end it? That has to be the attitude.

“When you go to Barcelona and experience what we did, it was obviously difficult for the players with the level of opponent they faced.

“But I think now there is a realisation that we are actually in the tournament. We are in the group stage and we have earned the right to be here.

“They can reflect on that performance in Barcelona but now this is where it starts.

“We are in it and belief has been growing. The team are improving and we want to impose our way of working.”